


Bright Hearts and Late Flights

by ThisWasInevitable



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Awkward Flirting, F/F, Kissing, M/M, Meet-Cute, Reader request, TAZ-Amnesty, Valentine's Day, danbrey, indruck, local bear loves disaster moth, vampfire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:54:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22645207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisWasInevitable/pseuds/ThisWasInevitable
Summary: I got two reader requests that gave me valentines/rom-com vibes, so I paired them together.Indrid and Duck try to flirt.Aubrey and Dani are stuck in an airport.
Relationships: Dani/Aubrey Little, Indrid Cold/Duck Newton
Comments: 4
Kudos: 68





	1. Clues

**Author's Note:**

> If you aren't swapped with requests Indruck being pining idiots and being bad at Flirting OR Aubrey setting Duck and Indrid up on a date which goes awkwardly but they both enjoyed it
> 
> Note: Bright Hearts was an idea I came up with on an Indruck discord during a discussion of Sylph holidays, but Tikkikwami and MorganEAshton both contributed ideas that I think made their way into this fic, so they deserve credit as well!

“Hey, Indrid, can I ask you something? As a friend?”

“Hmm?” Indrid glances up from his sketching, taking the mug Barclay offers him.

“You drawn anything other than Duck today?”

“What do--oh darn it all” He tosses his pencil down in frustration onto one of the twenty of so drawings scattered across the table.

All of them are of Duck Newton. All of them are indicative of a problem Indrid can no longer ignore.

Barclay pats his shoulder, expression kind and amused, “It’s okay, god knows you aren’t the first Sylph around here to get tunnel vision about a human.”

“It’s not that. It’s that this is the fifth time this week I’ve done this. My mind brings those futures to the forefront or, more perplexingly, insists on showing me memories of him that I wish to capture on paper.”

Barclay whistles, “Damn, that bad huh? But, like, you’ve definitely been into people before. I seem to recall several stories about hook-ups during the seventies.”

“That was different, a desire for physical connection and temporary companionship. This is, agh, this is a _crush_. An infatuation. A deep and desperate need for Duck to see me as potential partner.”

“So why not ask him out?”

Indrid chirps in alarm, “But if that goes badly, which it does in several futures, I lose Duck’s friendship.” He lifts the pencil and gnaws on it, “How did you and Stern come to be a couple?”

“Oh, uh” Barclay drums his fingers on the back of the booth, “Once I stopped ducking into closets to avoid him, we’d chat during my downtime, or he’d come sit with me in the springs. Then we started, y’know, flirting and eventually he kissed me one night outside his room.”

“Flirting….” Indrid taps his lips with the eraser.

“You’ve got the perfect opportunity for it too. Bright Heart’s is coming up.”

“Yes, very good point. Thank you Barclay.”

The celebration is in two weeks. Which means he has two weeks to flirt with Duck Newton and learn a)if he reciprocates Indrid’s feelings at all and b) what sort of courtship he is amenable to. 

This will be easy. All he has to do is show a brave, amusing, handsome man that he, a giant mothman in an odd-looking human form who once wore the same tank-top two weeks straight and is arguably responsible for more than few deaths, is a worthy partner.

“Easily a disaster is more like.” He mutters, crumpling up the sketches.

\-------------------------------------------------------

“The festival of what now?” Duck looks up from where he’s rabbit-proofing the last of electrical outlets in the lobby in anticipation of Aubrey and Dani’s upcoming visit. 

“Bright hearts.” Stern responds, filling in another row of boxes in his crossword. 

“It’s a super-rad time back on Sylvain.” Jake adds from his spot on the floor, sifting through a box of cards.

“So…” Duck peeks into the box and into the sea of red, white, and pink, “it’s like Valentine’s Day?”

“Kinda? It’s supposed to celebrate all types of love.”

“The date is set to when two constellations, one representing the Quell and one representing Sylvain, first appear in sky during the year.”

“Wait, Joe, how come you know that?”

Stern blushes faintly, “Once I learned where Barclay was from, I started learning what I could about Sylph celebrations in case there are ones that are important to him.”

“Right on!” Jake holds up a hand and Stern high-fives him. Duck stifles a laugh at the incongruous gesture from the agent.

“It’s so cool dude. If you want to celebrate how much you love your friends, you can throw a big party. If you want to celebrate how much you love yourself, there’s stores that sell all kinds of fancy food and soft clothes and stuff to use on your own. And if you’ve got, like, someone you’re dating or wanna date, there’s this scavenger-hunty thing. Speaking of, which of these do you think Hollis would like?” 

Jake holds up two valentine’s cards. One reads “Bee my valentine?” The other says, “You’re sweeter than honey.”

“Uh, you know hornets ain’t bee’s right?”

“Yeah?”

Duck sighs, “Go with the second one, since it don’t mention Valentines Day.”

“Thanks dude!” Jake sets the card aside. 

“So, uh, what does the scavenger hunt look like for someone you, uh, wanna date?”

“You make simple clues based on stuff you know they like, or that they associate with you, and make it lead to you. Once they solve the whole thing, you ask them out. Traditionally you kinda keep an eye on them as they do it. If they duck out of the game, it means they’ve figured out who you are and aren’t interested.”

“There’s no, uh, other rules or anythin? Or uh, things you oughta avoid to make sure they don’t think you’re comin on to strong?”

“Planning on making your move on someone?” Stern looks up with a dangerously curious glint in his eye.

“No, uh, fuck, was just, uh, wonderin for uh, conversation-talk purposes, it, there ain’t, fuck, ain’t anyone I got my eye on, no sirree, fuck.”

Jake and Stern look first at him, then at each other. 

“Duck, if you would like help-”

“Whoah look at the time, think I left the cat on at home, uh, fuck, bye!”

It’s only when he gets home that he realizes he should have taken Stern up on his offer. He kicks himself as he feeds Chicken her dinner, collapses onto his bed with a groan.

It didn’t used to be this hard. He was actually pretty smooth back in his younger years, could turn on the casual charm when someone caught his eye. But he’s not twenty-five anymore, doesn’t tick nearly as many people’s boxes. 

More importantly, none of those previous people were the motherfucking mothman. 

None of them were Indrid.

Indrid, with his too-wide smile that stopped unnerving Duck months ago and now adores. Indrid, captivating and strange, making Duck look mundane by comparison. Indrid, awkward and aloof but still friendly and eager to spend time with him. 

Duck can’t remember when he started thinking about Indrid so often. When he started daydreaming about dates. He just knows he's feeling increasingly screwed.

Chicken hops on the bed and proceeds to wrestle his foot. 

“Fuck, I can’t even do the Bright Hearts thing for him, ow, because he can see the future; he’ll know it’s me before, ow, he even starts and I’ll just look like a dipshit. Unless…” he contemplates the stucco ceiling, “unless there’s somethin else I can come up with to surprise him, or that he'd enjoy anyway. Assumin he likes me at all, that is. Huhmmm...”

\-------------------------------------------------

Movie night at Amnesty Lodge. Indrid is running late on account of getting caught up in some futures, and cursing his absent-mindedness as now he will not be able to execute his brilliant plan of sitting next to Duck.

When he arrives in the lobby, Duck is near the end of one of the couches, half-reclining on his side against some pillows. He spots Indrid and sits up, tossing the pillows to the floor and patting the now vacant spot. 

Hmm. That’s convenient. 

Indrid settles beside him, saying a friendly hello.

“Be right back, Jake’s still fightin with the DVD player so I’m gonna go grab us some snacks.”

“Oh no, allow me.” Indrid hops up before Duck can move, grabbing a plate from the table and piling it precariously full. 

“Damn, forgot you don’t fuck around with that sweet tooth of yours.”

“I mainly wanted to be sure I got things you liked. But also, you are correct.”

Duck chuckles, tosses a brownie bite into his mouth as the movie begins. Indrid keeps half his attention on screen and half of it on Duck, noting which things on the plate he prefers and stashing the information away for later. 

Halfway through the film, the plate is empty and as he sets it on the floor he shudders. 

“You okay?” 

“I fear I misjudged how many layers I needed.”

Without hesitation Duck unzips his Monongahela National Forest sweatshirt and drapes it around Indrid’s shoulders.

“Better?” Duck’s hands hover over the fabric, prepared to whisk it away if Indrid is displeased. 

Indrid smiles at him and tugs the sweatshirt, “Much.”

Duck sends him home with the sweatshirt (“can’t have you gettin too cold, Cold”) and a promise to retrieve it at another time.

When he reaches the Winnebago he catches a glimpse of his reflection in the window and touches the well-worn fabric before sighing out loud, “Oh dear, I barely made any progress at all.”

\----------------------------------------------------------

Duck is in the middle of a crisis of conscience. 

On the one hand, park rules clearly state that guests are to stay on marked trails. 

On the other hand, Indrid looks so goddamn happy, perched on stump in a clearing of spring flowers, sketching in a calm, steady manner that’s different from how he documents futures.

“I know I am not permitted to be here.” Indrid says right before Duck opens his mouth, “But I do love being able to draw without any passersby interrupting me. And the wildflowers are one of my favorite parts of the woods.”

Duck shakes his head with a laugh, “Make you a deal; you can stay put this time, but next time you wanna do this, you come find me first. There’s some spots that are still on trails that no one but me and maybe two other people usually go out on."

“That sounds quite reasonable.” Indrid looks up with a brief smile before turning his attention back to the paper. 

Duck should probably leave him be.

“The Fire Pinks may be my favorite.” Indrid turns to a new page, “They’re so cheerful, so elegantly simple and geometric.”

“Always reminded me of fireworks.”

“Precisely.” Indrid scoots over, making room. It’s an offer to join him that Duck gladly accepts. 

“I like the funky-lookin ones too, like Jack-in-the-Pulpits.”

“They look like those ones they have in South America that bats can sleep in.”

“Heh, been readin those National Geographics I left at the lodge?”

“Perhaps. Hmm, I must admit I also have a fondness Rhododendrons, they're so wild looking. Did you know they’re-”

“The state flower.” Duck grins, “Wait, how’d you know-”

“When a certain place or, ah, ahm, people in a certain place become important to me, I try to learn things about it. For instance, you are very knowledgeable about the natural world. I wish to be able to talk with you about it. I like being able to talk with you. Uh, ah, I like being able to talk with all my friends, of course.” Indrid’s gaze skitters away from Duck and back onto the flowers. 

Duck thinks for a moment, wondering if now would be the time to ask if Indrid has ever wanted to be something other than friends. But with every beat of silence, the Sylph seems to be curling anxiously in on himself.

Maybe Duck is making him nervous. 

“I, uh, I better get back to my specimen checks.”

“Ah, uh, of course. I shouldn’t keep you. It was very nice talking with you.”

As Duck makes his way back up the path he mutters, “Nice flirtin, dipshit, talkin to him about plants.”

Unbeknownst to him, Indrid is currently pressing his forehead against his face against his sketchpad and muttering, “goodness, Indrid, why did you lead with the plants?” 

\------------------------------------------------

In spite of his fear that his flirtation will become even more futile, Indrid comes back the next day, and keeps his promise. Duck, for his part, shows him some beautiful quiet, ranger-approved spots to watch. 

By the fifth day, Duck is bringing out his reports or anything else he’s able to handwrite and sitting beside Indrid as he draws. Sometimes they talk, other times they simply share the same patch of sunlight. 

By the next week, Duck is inviting Indrid back to his apartment for dinner. They sit at the table or on the couch, Duck talking about his life in Kepler and Indrid eagerly sharing snippets from his travels, or his life on Sylvain. Each time, they agree Indrid will go after dinner so Duck can get to bed at a decent hour. 

Each time, Indrid leaves well after midnight, the two of them having found a movie to watch, or Duck learning Indrid didn’t know a certain board game and teaching him, or Indrid telling a longer, involved story of his adventures that Duck showed no interest in interrupting. 

Two days before Bright Hearts, Indrid is on his stomach on the living room rug, dragging a noodleworm toy across the floor, Chicken in hot pursuit. 

“‘Drid?”

“Yes?” Indrid surrenders the toy to the ferocious predator.

“Do you ever get, uh, flashback visions, like when you’re asleep?”

“You mean nightmares?”

“Yeah. But, y’know, of visions you’ve had that are about things where you already know the outcome.”

“Yes, more often than I like.” Indrid climbs onto the couch with Duck, “I take it you are having--oh, oh dear, Duck, I’m so sorry.” He rests a hand on the ranger’s shoulder. 

“Saw what I was gonna say, huh? Yeah. I keep reliving the vision of Reconciliation burning the world away. Everyone just..gone. And even though I can tell it’s not a real vision, I, it’s _awful_ ‘Drid, I keep wakin up thinkin I failed, I wasn’t fast enough, I didn’t fulfill my destiny-” He’s never talked so rapidly, and Indrid slides his hand down to take Ducks trembling palm. 

“How do you deal with it?” Duck whispers. 

“With varying degrees of success, I’m afraid. Sometimes I find those nightmares occur more when there is something in my waking life I am worried about. If I address it, they lessen. Other times I resign myself to them, prepare something to calm me, ground me when I wake. I know the seer before me swore by soothing baths and tea before bed.”

“Wholesome.”

“It turned out she was heavily spiking said tea with very strong alcohol.”

Duck giggles in that endearing way of his, turns his face to stifle it in Indrid’s collarbone 

“I did once buy a very large, round pillow with a pleasant texture. It was invaluable when I would wake up from those dreams. It helped me remember where I was, and made it seem as though there was someone in bed to comfort me.”

Duck looks up, cheek still resting against his chest. Sympathy mixes with something else in his expression. 

“What happened to it?”

“It, ah, got destroyed during the Goatminion incident.”

“Shit, I’m sorry.”

“Considering I could have lost my autonomy, my life, or you during that same day, I find it hard to mourn a single pillow. Still, I ought to replace it.” 

Duck nods, thoughtfully. 

“Hey, ‘Drid? Thanks for talkin with me about this.”

Indrid squeezes his hand, “Any time.”

\-----------------------------------------------

Saturday is the festival of Bright Hearts. Duck knows this because he wrote it on his calendar. And because, when he opens the door to a knock, there’s no one waiting. Just a new model ship kit and an envelope containing a single slip of paper. 

_If you want to learn whose eye you have caught, go to where a carton of nog can be bought._

Duck arches a brow, smiles, and grabs his car keys. 

From his perch on the roof, Indrid chirps, “Yes” and pumps one of four hands in triumph. 

When Duck arrives at the general store, he dings the bell at the counter. Leo appears, mop in hand. 

“Mornin Duck. Somethin you need?”

“You got any nog left? Know it’s March, but got a hunch you might still have one.”

“Lemme go check the back.” Leo disappears. Duck checks his watch. 

“Well, wouldn’t you know it, we do have one.” Leo returns, voice lacking any surprise whatsoever, and holds out the carton. Taped to it’s back is a rectangular, wrapped box and another envelope. When he unwraps the package, he finds a king sized box of peanut m&ms. His favorite.

“Hell yeah.” He murmurs, opening the envelope next. 

_In case you don’t know, I think you’re a dream. The next clue is waiting somewhere there’s steam._

When he gets to the Lodge, he’s not the only one looking around the springs. 

Or in them. 

“You doin alright there Joe?” 

“Perfectly.” Stern is on his belly, sleeves rolled up and right arm searching through one of the pools, “Aha!” He pulls up a pair of swimtrunks, patterned with tiny UFOs. 

“I’ve been needing a new pair. The last ones got ripped in half during a, ahem, night at the lake.” Stern offers in response to Duck’s perplexed look. 

“You seen anythin else out here that, uh, ain’t supposed to be here?”

“I suggest investigating the pine tree at the back corner of the yard.”

“Thanks, man.”

There’s nothing obvious by the tree, not at first glance. But as he pokes around, he spies two red circles catching the light from within a nearby shrub. 

He reaches in and pulls out a small, plushy mothman. It’s arms are stitched so they’re hugging an even smaller duck (the bird kind) to its chest. Pinned to it’s back is a small paper with a final clue. 

_As to who I am, by now you have guessed. Please come to the Bago if your answer is yes._

Duck carefully tucks the plush under his arm and heads to the parking lot. 

His watch beeps, and he spots the time. 

“Shit.”  
\----------------------------------------

Indrid’s antennae twitch excitedly as he watches Duck from a spare room in the lodge. He’s obviously found the last clue and he’s heading to his car in a hurry.

Then his car pulls out of the lot, and heads in the opposite direction to the campgrounds. 

“Oh.” He chirrs softly. Well, that answers that. 

He flaps home glumly, only watching the futures enough to make sure he’s not seen. It’s not that he doubts his choice of clues; Duck seemed genuinely happy with them. Duck just doesn’t see him that way. That’s okay. It has to be okay. Hopefully he hasn’t made things too awkward.

At least Duck didn’t feel pressured by the gifts and come to him because he felt he had to. Indrid does not want to be just another obligation Duck feels he cannot avoid. 

Back in the trailer he pours himself some kool-aid and plunks down on the couch. Duck’s sweatshirt is slung over the arm, where Indrid tossed it this morning.

Maybe he should put on his glasses so he can wear it. It still smells a little like Duck’s soap. 

A metallic rattle of someone rapping on the door. He puts his glasses on long enough to poke his head out. No one is there, and the campground remains deserted save for his trailer. He shuts the door, changes back into his Sylph form. 

A pebble clangs against it. He swings it open with a hiss. 

And spots something he missed the first time: A small, rectangular box, the label of which informs him it contains eggnog truffles. _Look_ west is written on the bottom. 

He walks west, keeping close to the trailer, rounds the corner and finds a bouquet of Fire Pinks. Tied to the yellow ribbon holding them together is a note that says, _Now east_.

Indrid continues circling the Winnebago. On the final corner before he turns back to the front door he finds a pair of warm gloves, with ducks on the palm. He forgoes reading the final clue in favor of bolting inside. 

Standing mercifully out of range of the thrown-open door is Duck, hands behind his back and hopeful grin on his face. 

“Hey.”

In lieu of a helpful response, Indird poofs up, chirring what, in Sylph, translates to “oh thank goodness.”

“You okay?” Duck cracks up midway through the question.

“Yes. This, ah, this happens if I have been increasingly stressed and then experienced a strong emotion.”

“Stressed? I tried to keep the clues real simple-”

“You left, Duck. In the middle of the game.”

Duck looks up at him sheepishly, “I know. And I didn’t want to, cause Jake told me about what that meant. but I had to go home in time for them to deliver the last part of your present. They made me sign for it. Not sure why.”

Indrid cocks his head.

Duck produces a pillow from behind his back. A giant, round, mothman shaped pillow. 

“It’s to replace the one you lost. Even looks like a mini-you, couldn’t resist gettin it for you.”

Indrid takes it for a test hug. It feels just like he needs it to. 

“Thank you. I, I must admit I still can’t believe you reciprocate my feelings. I thought my flirtation attempts mostly fell flat.” He sets the pillow down carefully. 

Duck notices his sweatshirt and smiles as he picks it up, “This didn’t clue you in? Offerin your jacket is puttin the moves on someone 101.”

“I am not familiar with that particular custom. Also that is a sweatshirt.”

Duck holds out the red glasses, “Put these on, goofus.”

Indrid does, and as soon as he’s human Duck pulls him into his arms.

He’s had visions of such a kiss, but nothing could prepare him for the warmth and life in the movement of Duck’s lips, the way the human moans quietly when Indrid reciprocates, the feeling of being held as if he’s the only thing of value in this world. 

He melts. Duck holds him steady in the embrace, cups his cheek with one hand to keep them close when they break apart to breath. 

“Feel kinda silly askin this now but uh, will you let me take you out on a date?”

Indrid purrs, nuzzling Duck’s cheek and basking in the warmth of his affection, “Nothing would make me happier.”


	2. Missed Connection (Danbrey)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A reader asks: If you have the time and like the prompt, could you write danbrey meet cute where they’re stuck in an airport overnight because of a delayed flight? Possibly also where everyone is still a sylph/magic

“This is so not chill dudes.” Jake stands by the bank of windows, looking out at the dark, snow-coated runways. 

“Yeah, not my favorite either.” Dani comes to join him, patting his shoulder. She, Jake, and Barclay are on their way back to Kepler from a trip out west (Jake has a cousin on the coast), but thanks to a snowstorm causing their red-eye from Montana to be delayed until morning, they’re stuck camping out in the tiny airport. 

“Good thing I came prepared.” Barclay digs into his carry on and produces a portable DVD player and a copy of _Air Bud Two_ , setting them and the power cable on a nearby bucket seat

“Hell yeah!” Jake takes the DVD case, “This is the best one.”

“Got some snacks too, where, ahah!” Barclay produces a bag of cookies, “now let’s get this baby plugged in. Wait, where’d the charger go?”

“Uh, dudes?” Jake points to their charger, which is currently in the mouth of the biggest rabbit Dani has ever seen. 

Having been spotted, the furry thief freezes. 

“Hey little buddy, lemme just get that from you.” Barclay only manages to kneel halfway down before the rabbit takes off, charge still firmly in it’s mouth.

“Okay, Barclay, you go left and I’ll go right, maybe we can herd it back here. Jake, see if you can grab it when it comes back.” Dani runs through the mostly-empty terminal, weaving through rows of seats and vaulting luggage strewn near half-asleep passengers feet. She loses Barclay, and nearly loses the rabbit when it scuttles under a bank of chairs. 

She stops running and waits. A wiggly nose, then a head with ears at full alert emerges from under the seat. 

“C’mon, little guy” Dani slowly crouches, “give back out charger, oh damn it.” As soon as she reaches for the cable the rabbit runs, and her dive to catch it fails spectacularly. 

The rabbit turns, waits for her to sit up, and then hops slowly around the row of chairs. Dani follows at a crawl, and when she rounds them her heart flutters like batwings. 

Curled up asleep on the floor, head resting on one of the chair seats, is the cutest woman she has ever seen. Below a retro-looking pompadour is a beautiful face, a spray of freckles around her nose and faded fire-colored lipstick on a mouth that makes an adorable smile in her sleep. 

When the rabbit reaches the young woman, it drops the charger and tugs at the bottom of her denim vest with it's teeth. When that fails, it honks softly and digs at her leg with it’s front paws. 

“OUCH! Oh no, Dr. Harris Bonkers, did you chew through another carrier? Ah!” She jumps back upon seeing Dani.

“Sorry! I, um, your rabbit ran off with our charger.”

“Oh shit.” She picks up the cable, “I’m so sorry. Huh, looks like he didn’t take too big a chunk out of it. One sec.” 

Dani tries not to follow the line of a black-legging clad thigh when the other woman turns to rifle through a backpack. She fails. It doesn’t help the the black and red checkered skirt rides up more than a little. 

“Ta dah!” The young woman pulls out a roll of electrical tape, tears off a piece, and patches the bitten cable. 

Dani smiles, “I take it this happens a lot.”

“Yep. Bunnies love cords. I’ve lost six pairs of headphones since I got him, whoops.” A boarding pass flutters to the ground. 

Dani picks it up, notices the destination, “Wow, you’re heading to West Virginia too?”

“Yep! Once I get there, I still have to take a bus ride to a town called Kepler.”

“No. way. That’s where I live! Um, I’d have to double check, but maybe you could hitch a ride with us?”

“Us?” A cautious expression moves across that cute face. 

“My friends and I. Do you wanna come meet them? Barclay has cookies.”

“Sure. I’m Aubrey, by the way. But you can call me Lady Flame!” She makes finger guns at Dani, and little sparks shoot from her fingertips.

Dani laughs, delighted. 

Then a seat behind Aubrey catches fire. 

“Ah fuck! Shoot, why does this keep happening?” Aubrey upends her water bottle onto the flames, extinguishing them. 

“You didn’t even send sparks that way.” Dani narrows her eyes as something electric pings her senses; she recognizes the taste of magic. Real magic. 

“I _know_. I had to leave Bozeman in a hurry because I set a lobby on fire on accident. It was all fine but, like, my trick doesn’t usually do that. It’s starting to freak me out.”

“I’m sorry. Uh, do you still wanna come with me? Cookie might make you feel better.”

Aubrey grins, and that’s how Dani finds herself carrying two bags while the magician follows her, rabbit held snugly in her arms. 

“Dude, we thought the rabbit got you too! Oh, hey.” Jake waves at Aubrey and Barclay looks up from his book. 

“Hi!”

“Jake, Barclay, this is Aubrey and Dr. Harris Bonkers.”

“PhD. But thank you for using his full name.” Aubrey’s smile is half-hidden in the rabbit’s fur, but Dani blushes all the same. 

“You dudes wanna join us for the movie?”

“Maybe some other time, right now I need to reorganize my bags to fit Dr. Harris Bonkers in them.”

“Here, I can help.” Dani sets the bags down in a spot that, when she and Aubrey sit on the floor and begin sorting through them, is completely out of her friend's sight. 

“So” Aubrey shakes out the smaller bag, “you live in Kepler?”

“Yeah. I had to leave home awhile back, and ended up there. There’s a place in town that takes in, uh, people like me. That’s where I met Jake and Barclay. What about you?”

“I know the area. I’m hoping to book some shows in the more touristy chunks, I was only out west because I managed to get a little tour of bookings out here. I don’t really feel like going home either, I guess. I, uh,” she fiddles with the rabbit’s ears, “Lost my mom a few years back.”

“Oh, Aubrey, I’m so sorry.” Dani rests a hand on her knee. 

“It’s, well, I was gonna say 'it’s okay' but it’s obviously super not. More like it’s a thing that happened an I’m used to it. Like making peace with the fact it sucks, y’know?”

“Yeah, I know.” Dani thinks of home, of her family on Sylvain. Of the long ago, bitterly accepted truth that she’ll never see them again. 

Aubrey looks at her with sad understanding, then shakes it off so a smile takes it’s place, “phew, sorry, late nights in a liminal space can get me kinda confession-minded, hey, don’t eat that!” She yanks a book away from where the rabbit is poised to bite it. 

Dani takes in the cover, a picture of two goth-edgy looking women, “Fangs of Love?”

“I know, vampire stuff is so five years ago, but I just can’t help it. What girl wouldn’t want a beautiful vampire lady to sweep her off her feet?”

“Lots of human ones?” Dani tries to play it off as a joke to cover her jet-engine heartbeat. 

“Cowards. Nothing beats a human on vampire romance. I mean, c’mon, sexy ladies with sharp teeth? Sign me the fuck up.”

“Mmhmm.” Dani licks her lips at the thought of just how many delicious sounds she could coax out of Aubrey with her (currently hidden) sharp teeth. 

Aubrey smirks knowingly, “You doing okay there?”

“Huh? Uh, yeah, just thinking about humans and vampires.”

Aubrey continues smirking, keeps stealing glances at as she stuffs an indignant rabbit into her satchel. 

“Hey, the place you mentioned, do you think I’d be able to stay there too?”

“I don’t see why not. We’d have to check with Mama, but I have a feeling you’ll fit right in.”

“Wait, you mom-”

“Nope, that’s just what the owner goes by. She’s tough and protective and makes these amazing carvings, and I’m pretty sure she could fight a bear and win.”

“Awesome! Do you, like, work at the lodge?”

Dani tells her about the gardens, about working with Barclay to grow things for the kitchen, learning the climate and weather of a new place to give her plants the best chance of surviving. Aubrey, in turn, shares how she knew she wanted to be a magician. Oddly, none of it has to do with her having real magic. She really doesn’t know, but Dani decides an airport in the middle of the night isn’t the place to have that conversation. Plus, she wants Mama’s help on that one. 

They talk until the gate agent taps her microphone, announcing to all twenty of the waiting passengers that boarding will begin shortly, starting with Gold Plus Members and active duty military. Dani pokes her friends awake while Aubrey collects her bags. 

Conveniently, once the plane is fully boarded, the attendants let them move seats, and Aubrey slips into the middle seat beside her window one. 

Aubrey jiggles her leg, keeps looking nervously at the rabbit, who has to sit under the seat during take-off, and chews a hangnail.

“Not a fan of flying?” Dani asks gently. 

“This is gonna sound silly, but I always feel a little too combustible to be on planes. Not sure why. I prefer buses and trains and shit but there was no way to get to Kepler like that without going broke.” She looks sheepish, the least confident she has all night. 

Dani takes her hand, watches her brighten instantly. 

Aubrey bites her lip, and near-inaudibly whispers, “Kiss for luck?”

Dani leans across the armrest and presses a kiss to the corner of her mouth. Aubrey squeals in surprised joy, and turns to face her, bringing them into a far deeper kiss than Dani intended. 

She doesn’t mind one bit. 

They kiss softly all through the safety demon, Aubrey giggling when Dani makes a bad pun about blowing into life vests. 

By the time they land, Aubrey is asleep on her shoulder, their hands still intertwined, and Dani is feeling like some how, just by Aubrey coming with them, the lodge will feel much more like home.


End file.
